1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to dish racks used to contain wet dishes after their washing, and the drain trays typically used below such racks to collect drained off water.
2. The Prior Art.
In domestic kitchens, it is common to use a dish rack adjacent to the kitchen sink for the collection of wet dishes subsequent to the manual washing of the dishes in the sink. Typically the dishes are rinsed and placed in specialized compartments in the rack, still wet. A series of apertures and through slots extend through the bottom of the rack's compartment, through which water from the dishes is drained off by gravity.
A mat or tray, composed either of rubber or plastic, is generally sold with the rack, for intended use with the rack. The tray in use is positioned beneath the rack and includes a central platform area, bounded by raised sidewalls, on which the rack is supported. The drainage water from the racked dishes collects in the platform area, out of contact with the dishes, whereby accelerating their drying. Some trays in common use provide an outlet lip at one end of the platform area, which is draped over the sink, and from which collected water can be returned to the sink. Other trays merely collect the water in the platform area, for eventual disposition by way of evaporation.
The combined tray and rack are commonly colored coordinated, and are sold at retail as a set. To package the set, the tray is normally positioned below the rack, and both are wrapped in cellophane. The set is then shipped to the retail customer for display and sale. Alternatively, the rack and tray are shipped separately and it is the retailer who must display and sell the products as a combined set. Because of the awkward shape defined by the rack on the tray, it is prohibitively expensive to ship the set in a cardboard box or other container format.
While the above products are well accepted int he trade and have met with commercial success, several shortcomings prevent existing rack and tray sets from satisfying all of the consumer and manufacturer's needs. First, the aforementioned means for packaging the set for shipment and subsequent display are inadequate. The wrapping of the set together creates a package which is not attractive, and which can be ripped or cut in transit from the manufacturer to retailer. Secondly, the combined set is not a visible through a cellophane wrap as desired.
The alternative of shipping the two items separately is equally unattractive. Because of shipping irregularities, and retail inventory problems, the components of the set, the rack and tray, may become separated. The consumer is then left with the frustration of not finding a tray which matches the rack of preference, or vice versa.
Also, in use, the dish rack and tray may be moved from one location to another. For example, such items are typically taken on camping trips, or just in a residential relocation. The disassociation of the rack from the tray may occur in such events, which is further viewed as an inconvenience to the consumer.
Finally, it is not uncommon for the rack and tray set to be jointly sold with a related product, such as dish washing detergent, in a joint promotion. The wrapping of three items together (the rack, tray, and detergent sample) is an awkward and inefficient proposition. The disassociation of the items during transit is also not uncommon.